The Snow Alchemist
by reg26
Summary: Known by the name Snow Alchemist, Cassie is a state alchemist stationed in the North. She rarely leaves her post there, but one day is called to Central by Colonel Roy Mustang who requests her assistance in finding Maes Hughes' murderer. However, upon arrival she discovers from her old friend Jean Havoc there is much more to Mustang's mission than she initially thought.
1. Chapter 1

Cassie Keynes sat on the train heading to Central. She stared glumly out the window as the world passed her by and slowly changed from tundra to foliage and finally to the sprawling city she despised. She did her best to avoid trips to Central because nothing good ever came of it. This time was no different. She had received a call from Roy Mustang requesting her presence in Central to assist with some urgent matter. Few details were given, but Cassie knew from working with Mustang that nothing good could possibly be around the corner. An old friend from her military training days was going to house her until the case was over. Sure enough, as Cassie stepped off the train, she noticed a blonde man in a military uniform smoking a cigarette.

"So," Cassie said as she approached the man. "I see you're still keeping up that bad habit." She had a stern look on her face.

"And I see you're still wearing that stupid thing," Jean Havoc said as he gestured to her knee-length fur coat.

"It's cold in the North!" She retorted.

"I'm just saying, you're gonna melt wearing that here. Instead of the Snow Alchemist, they'll be calling you the Puddle Alchemist."

Cassie groaned at this. In the five years since she was given the name Snow Alchemist, she had heard countless jokes about the name and almost all came from this man.

"Your jokes are as bad as ever. I'm guessing you're still single?"

"Hey! For your information, I started seeing a beautiful woman recently."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Cassie stood on her toes and rustled Jean's hair. "Now let's go find somewhere to eat, I'm starving."

"Actually, lunch is ready at my place." Jean said as he grabbed Cassie's suitcase from her. No one looking would have picked up on it, but he gently squeezed her hand twice as he grabbed it and she immediately became much more interested in what he was saying.

"Oh? Did you cook for me?"

"No, it's takeout from this nice place I recently found out about. Actually, I found out about it from the Colonel. I guess he went there on a date with that Elizabeth girl once."  
"Well, if the Colonel enjoys it, I can only assume it's not too my liking."

"Hey, I think you'll be in for a surprise though it may be a bit too adventurous for your taste." Cassie linked her arm around Jean's and smiled at him.

"Don't worry, I've been stuck in the North with the same basic food for so long, I'm sure this will be a nice treat." Despite her smile, Cassie could not help but feel a little dread about what was really about to happen.

The rest of the walk to Jean's apartment was spent idly chatting about mundane things. Jean told Cassie about the girl he had to leave behind when he moved to Central and Cassie told Jean about life in the North. Her day to day routine was relatively low key. She lived in a small town close to Briggs. Well, as close to Briggs as a town could be. She visited Briggs a couple times a month to assist with anything they may need. The main reason she was stationed up there was in case Drachma, the country to the north of Amestris, ever decided to try and invade. Cassie was not entirely sure how helpful she would be in that situation, but she was given the post by the Fuhrer a few years ago, so she really did not have an option. She did not really mind it that much. Cassie grew up in the North and loved the winter climate. The time she spent in Central when she first became a State Alchemist had been rough on her. The climate is relatively mild there, but it was too much for her. Winter ran through her blood. Her affinity for the cold was partially why she had been given the name Snow Alchemist.

"Well, here we are," Jean said as they stopped in front of an apartment building. He unlocked the door and led Cassie up a flight to the second floor. He opened the door to his apartment and gestured for her to walk in first. Upon entering, Cassie immediately noticed the blonde woman sitting at Jean's kitchen table.

"Hello, Hawkeye, it's been a while."

"Hi, Keynes." Cassie sat across from the woman.

"So, what mess is the Colonel dragging me into now?" She asked the older woman.

Hawkeye closed her eyes a for a moment and sighed.

"As you probably heard, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes was killed."

"Yes, I know how much he meant to you all. I'm sorry." Hawkeye gave a slight nod. Ever since Cassie met the woman, she had been aware of the sadness that lived in the other woman's eyes. It was not always noticeable, but Cassie knew it was always there. She never asked Hawkeye about her time in Ishval, but she could only imagine what those eyes had seen.

"Does the Colonel want me to help find the Lieutenant Colonel's killer?"

"That's the official reason for your visit and the Colonel will provide you with an official debrief tomorrow, but there is something else. This is going to be a bit of a shock and may very well sound crazy to you."

"Oh, I love crazy. Why do you think I'm still friends with this guy." She joked as she gestured towards Jean who feigned injury at the remark. A bit of a smile broke Hawkeye's face before she began giving Cassie the truth.

About half an hour later, Cassie was in a daze. Hawkeye had just explained to her how the Colonel believed one of their own was being framed for Hughes' death and what Hughes had been investigating leading up to his murder. She had told Cassie the plan to fake Maria's death and lure out the real murderer. Cassie was brought in to support the Colonel in terms of alchemy power since there was no knowing who they were facing.

"Will you help us?" Hawkeye asked bluntly with her typical serious face.

"I have one question. Did the Colonel himself suggest bringing me here to help or is this your doing?" It was hard to tell, but Cassie thought she detected a smirk on Hawkeye's face.

"Believe it or not, but the Colonel was adamant that you be a part of this. I believe his exact phrasing was 'the Snow alchemist may be unmotivated and bad at her job, but she has a knack for detecting lies.'"

"Well, he may be arrogant and power hungry, but at least he can appreciate my talent for calling out people's bullshit." Cassie let out a laugh at her own statement as Hawkeye sighed. The older woman stood up from the table.

"I'll see you tomorrow for your official debrief. Please try not to ruffle the Colonel's feathers too much."

"No promises, Hawkeye."

As Hawkeye opened the door she turned and smiled at the young brunette in the fur coat.

"It is nice to see you again, Keynes." With that, she departed.

"So," Jean said as he sat down in the chair Hawkeye recently vacated. There was a sparkle in his eyes and an unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth. "Are you ready for this mission?"

"I can only hope so." Cassie said as she stared out the window. Just then, her stomach let out a growl. "Where's this food you promised me?"

After eating, Cassie crashed in Jean's bed for a nap. Her journey had been long and she needed to process all the information Hawkeye had relayed to her. She was so far removed from Central and most of society, that she had no clue what was going on in most of Amestris. Deep inside her, she had a bad feeling that something bad was bound to happen. Then again, maybe it was just her concern over the fact that Mustang was desperate enough to ask her for help. They had not exactly gotten along when she was under his command in East City. All these thoughts circulated through her mind as she drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note: Hey, sorry this update is later than expected, but Chapter 3 is well in the works so it'll be up by Friday._

Cassie's nap turned into sleeping the night away. She woke up and found herself sprawled on Jean's bed. Not realizing how close she was to the edge of the bed, she rolled over and found herself suddenly on the floor. She let out a groan. If this was any sign of how her first day as a part of Mustang's team would go, she was not going to survive. She stood up and worked a kink out of her back before heading to the bathroom. She noticed Jean still asleep on the couch. He was too tall for it and she could only imagine how uncomfortable he must have been sleeping there.

Upon entering the bathroom and looking in the mirror, Cassie noticed the mess her hair had become overnight. Half of her long dark hair had fallen out of her french braid overnight. She combed through the mess and jumped into the shower. By time she finished showering and changing into her uniform, Jean had woken up and was sitting at the kitchen table, alternating between a cigarette and cup of coffee.

"Wow, that's quite the breakfast," Cassie remarked as she sat down across from him and dried her hair with a towel.

"I open my home up to you, and you're going to criticize my habits? Well, tonight you can sleep on the couch." Cassie just shrugged in response.

"It's your home and I have a talent for sleeping anywhere at any time."

"Trust me, I know." Jean stood up and Cassie noticed that he was already dressed in his uniform.

"Oh, did you already shower?" She asked as he walked into his kitchen.

"I took is last night while you were knocked out. I even tripped over your bag and you didn't wake up."

"Like I said," Cassie said nonchalantly as she began braiding her hair, "I have a talent for sleeping."

When Jean reappeared, he had a plate with buttered toast and sliced apple. Cassie smiled. Soon after she first met Jean, he witnessed her almost cut a finger off while slicing an apple and since then, he has always cut them for her. She quickly finished her braid which started at the top left of her head and wrapped around so it fell over her right shoulder.

"You're the best, Jean! Thanks for the food!" She said cheerfully before she started eating. Jean sat back down across from her grabbing one of the apple slices.

"Try and keep this peppy attitude when we see the Colonel, alright?"

"No promises." Cassie said with a mouth full of toast.

The rest of breakfast was spent in relative silence. By time she had finished eating, it was time for them to leave. Jean was halfway out the door when he looked behind him and was shocked at what he saw. Cassie was slipping her fur coat on.

"Cass, are you really wearing that outside?"

"Yeah, I wear it everywhere." Jean hung his head in resignation.

"I've known many women in my life, but none have been nearly as strange as you."

"Somehow I doubt this woman you claim to be dating is normal. I mean, she's dating you after all." Cassie remarked as they exited his apartment. Jean suddenly had a lovey-dovey look on his face. Cassie had seen this one many times since Jean constantly told her about the girls he was pining over.

"This girl is not just normal, she's beautiful, sweet, and I think she really likes me."

"Well then, I guess you won't need me around if you have her. Once this mission is over, I'll pack my bags, head back north to my frozen isolation, and disappear from your life forever." Jean gave her a light flick on the ear.

"I don't ever want to hear that from you. You'll always be the number one girl in my life no matter how annoying you can be."

Cassie smiled up at Jean as they continued walking. They turned a corner and found themselves at the military headquarters. Seeing the building brought back so many memories of when she first became a State Alchemist. She had become a certified state alchemist in the last year of the Ishvalan War. Upon seeing the state of surviving soldiers and hearing whispers of what happened, she counted her lucky stars that she never had to go there. Her time at Central was brief, once the war ended, she was sent to East City where she met the Flame Alchemist and eventually became known as the Snow Alchemist.

Jean led her through Central, constantly stopping to say hi to fellow officers. Cassie was not surprised; Jean had always been a gregarious individual. Most of the people were strangers to her, but there were a few familiar faces. Each of them seemed shocked to see her back in Central. As they walked further down the hallway, Cassie noticed Hawkeye in the distance talking to a short officer in glasses. They stopped talking as Jean and Cassie approached.

"Hello, Lieutenant Hawkeye. It's nice to see you." Cassie said politely.

"Nice to see you, Lieutenant Keynes. I hope your travels went well." Hawkeye kept her usual professional demeanor. The man next to Hawkeye looked curiously over at Cassie.

"Oh, that's right." Havoc said. "You two never would have crossed paths back in East City. Lieutenant Keynes, this is Master Sergeant Fuery. He also was transferred over here by the Colonel."

Cassie took that to mean that this man could be trusted to some extent. In all honesty, she could tell just by looking at him that there was no way this man could be up to something malicious.

"Nice to meet you, Sergeant Fuery. We'll probably be seeing a lot of each other if you're working under the Colonel too."

"Nice to meet you!" He said with a slightly confused smile. Cassie turned to Hawkeye.

"Speaking of the general, is he in?" During their conversation yesterday, Hawkeye had informed Cassie that Mustang spent most of his time researching at the library. Hopefully he was so busy with his research that he was not in to see her currently.

"Actually, he's waiting for you in his office."

"What? He's here earlier than me? That's surprising."

"Lieutenant, you say that as if you ever showed up early." There was a hint of amusement in Hawkeye's comment.

"No, I was always on time, unlike the Colonel." Jean scoffed next to her.

"Always?" He asked despite knowing the answer. Cassie threw her hands in the air.

"Usually. I was usually on time unlike the Colonel." Jean let out a laugh while Fuery looked more confused. "Alright, show me the way, Lieutenant." Cassie sighed. It was time to get this meeting over with.

Hawkeye walked a few steps to a partially open door near her and pushed it all the way open. Cassie could only hope they had been quiet enough that the flame alchemist had not heard her insulting his timeliness.

"Colonel, Lieutenant Keynes is here." Hawkeye said. Cassie walked in and saw the man in question sitting behind a desk idly playing with a chessboard. Hawkeye was standing next to the door and had her usual neutral expression.

"Hello, Colonel." Keynes said shortly.

"Snow Alchemist, it's been awhile. Thank you for coming to assist us." Roy leaned forward on one of his hands. Upon looking closer at his face, Cassie could notice the dark circles under his eyes. He must really be throwing himself into this work. It made sense given his friendship with Hughes.

"Of course, sir. How could I refuse a request from my former boss."

"From what I remember, you never listened to my orders and you were rarely on time." Even if he did not emphasize the word rarely, the smirk on his face had given away the fact that he had heard everything outside.

"In my defense, sir, I did listen to your orders, but I also learned from watching my superior and I figured 'well if he chooses to ignore his paperwork, I guess I can ignore his orders'" None of this was true, of course, but she knew it would rile him up.

"I do not slack off! Lieutenant, do I slack off?" He turned to Hawkeye.

"Sir, have you finished all the transfer paperwork?" She asked plainly.

"Of course I have!" Mustang waved at his desk which did not have a single piece of paper on it. Hawkeye gave him a deadpan look as she walked over to his desk, opened the drawer, and pulled a stack of papers out. Mustang opened his mouth to respond but said nothing.

"Lieutenant Keynes, maybe you should have a seat so the Colonel can go over some logistics with you." Hawkeye said. As Keynes sat down, she noticed that the stack of papers were blank as in entirely blank and not paperwork needing to be filled out. _So, this is all for show. I guess they don't want anyone to know something suspicious is happening here. Mustang has always had a flare for the dramatics._ Cassie thought to herself.

"So, Colonel, tell me about this task you have for me."


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's note: Timeline is gonna be out of whack from canon just to warn you._

As Hawkeye had explained yesterday, today's meeting with Mustang was more of a formality and to establish her cover story for being here.

"As you know, Maes Hughes was murdered. The night before yesterday, Second Lieutenant Maria Ross was apprehended in relation to the murder."  
"Is she suspected of the crime?"

"There is apparently a witness and they found a bullet which matches her gun." Cassie nodded. In reality, Maria Ross had probably fired that bullet in a previous incident. Hawkeye had explained that as well as the fact that a source provided invaluable evidence to Mustang that Ross did not kill Hughes. Tonight, Mustang's plan would be put into action, but for now, they all played their part.

"So, now that it looks like you have the killer, what am I needed for?"

"Well, your original mission has been completed without your help. Though, I suppose that's no different from when you are actually present."

"Did you bring me here just to insult me?" Cassie was glaring at the Colonel.

"No that's just an added bonus. Lieutenant Falman is out sick and Lieutenant Hawkeye will be taking leave tomorrow, I could use an extra pair of hands around here. You already were given the okay to be away from Briggs, so there's no harm in keeping you here for a bit. I actually already have a task you can work on."

"Oh, what is it?" Cassie asked. Mustang reached into the lower desk drawer and pulled out a stack of paper. He had a huge grin on his face.

"You could finish this paperwork for me!"

"Don't call me lazy if you won't even do your own paperwork!" Cassie slammed her hand down on the table as Hawkeye sighed. "This is going to take me all day."

"Just think of it as making up for all that slacking you did before your transfer up North!" The Colonel had a huge grin on his face. He hated being Cassie's commanding officer years ago, but knowing she would only be here temporarily, he was making the most out of tormenting her.

"How am I supposed to know how to fill this out? I don't work here."

"It's standard military paperwork. Don't you do that for Briggs?" Cassie thought about his question for a moment.

"No, not really. General Armstrong has everything running perfectly up there. I just show up once in a while and help out with whatever needs to be done."

"WHY ARE YOU GETTING PAID BY THE GOVERNMENT THEN?" The Colonel snapped.

"I mean most of my work is done in the towns south of Briggs and if Drachma ever tries to invade, I'll be on the frontlines." There was pride in Cassie's voice and a smile on her face.

"You're going to take the Drachman army on by yourself?" The Colonel was both skeptical and annoyed.

"Oh not at all. Briggs has quite the defenses and tanks and highly trained soldiers. But Drachma could have some alchemists so we should be prepared."

"If you're what's standing between Drachma and us, we're doomed."

"Would you rather I ask for a transfer to Central? I can make this move permanent."

"Absolutely not." Colonel Mustang replied immediately.

Cassie had a few choice words she would like to say the the Colonel, but she knew she needed to choose her battles with this one. She began to gather the papers and stood to leave his office.

"Oh, Lieutenant Keynes, one last thing." She turned to look at the Colonel. He had a very serious look on his face as he stared at her.

"What, Colonel?"

"Why are you wearing that stupid coat?" Without a response, Cassie exited the office making sure to slam the door shut.

"So," Havoc said as he leaned against the wall across from Cassie. "He's already stuck you with paperwork." Cassie batted her eyelashes at him.

"Lieutenant Havoc, would you really let a poor girl do all this on her own?"

"Sorry, but I've got a gorgeous girl waiting on me. Solaris is so wonderful and beautiful and amazing, I wouldn't dream of standing her up." Cassie immediately regretted asking him. She knew he was lying about meeting up with this girl because of tonight's plan, but she accidentally opened the door for him to talk about her. Now he was acting like a twelve year old girl.

"Solaris is a stupid name." Havoc's lovey-dovey attitude suddenly switched too overbearingly sad.  
"Don't say that! One day you're going to have to meet her and get along. What am I going to do if the two women in my life don't get along? Think of how awkward the wedding would be!"

"I would love to stay and daydream about your marriage to a girl you barely know, but suddenly I have an urge to start this paperwork." Cassie started walking away and left a lovelorn Jean behind. Cassie had not had a chance to ask Jean where she should go to do this paperwork so she started walking to the only location she remembered: the cafeteria. It was still early for lunch, but she could get a cup of tea and work her way through this awful assignment.

She had been walking around Central for about five minutes when she realized that she did not actually remember where anything was located in Central. She turned a corner and found herself walking right into a man.

"Oh, sorry!" Cassie said as she regained her balance. She looked up and her jaw dropped open. The man standing before her was none other than Fuhrer King Bradley. She quickly stood straight and saluted him. He looked down at her and a smile broke on his face.

"Why if it isn't the Snow Alchemist! I didn't realize you were in Central." Cassie's nerves settled immediately. There was something calming about the Fuhrer's face. She supposed it was the kind smile and funny moustache.

"Hello Fuhrer," she said still in salute. "I just arrived yesterday. Colonel Mustang requested my assistance."

"Really?" The Fuhrer chuckled. "Well, this is a strange world we live in if you and Mustang are getting along."

"I wouldn't say we're getting along, just working for the same cause."

"Glad to see two individuals overcome their differences by a shared love for their country. Well, I need to be off for a meeting. It was nice to see you, Snow Alchemist."

"Nice to see you too, sir." Cassie watched as he walked away. Given that she only ever works with the soldiers at Briggs, it was so strange seeing the Fuhrer walking around. Remembering the paperwork in her hand, Cassie continued her journey to find the cafeteria.

By time she arrived at her destination, it was actually close enough to lunch time for her to grab a bite to eat before sitting down. People slowly started trickling in and grabbing seats at other tables while Cassie stared at the paperwork in her hand. She flipped through it and immediately noticed that most of the questions were extremely specific to the Colonel and there were many spots that required his signature. She was infuriated. The bastard was probably in his office laughing about the fact that he sent her with an impossible task. She was so caught up in her anger that she did not notice Lieutenant Hawkeye sit down across from her.

"How's your first day back at Central going?" There was a hint of amusement in the blonde woman's voice.

"There's no way I can do any of this paperwork! The man's a monster!" Cassie threw her pen down and turned her attention back to her sandwich. "I get he hates me," she said with a full mouth, "but this is just cruel."

"I know for a fact that the Colonel has not glanced at this paperwork once, so I doubt he even knew what needed to be filled in." Hawkeye reached for the papers. "I'll take these back to him and make sure he understands that by time I return from leave, these should be completed."

"You're a saint, Lieutenant Hawkeye." Cassie was beaming as she passed all the papers to the other woman. Unbeknownst to anyone else, Hawkeye passed a slip of paper to Cassie during the exchange.

"So, you must have a lot to do to get settled in here. Who knows how long you'll be staying. There's probably a lot of shopping you need to get done." Hawkeye put aside the paperwork and began eating her lunch.

"Yeah, I might slip out for a bit and get some errands done. Of course, it would be appreciated if the Colonel didn't hear about this."

"Of course," Hawkeye replied.

"I owe you one," Cassie said as she gathered the remnants of her trash. "If I don't see you later, enjoy your time off!" Hawkeye nodded in response as Cassie tossed her trash and left the cafeteria. Luck was on her side this time, and she found her way out of Central Command easily without running into anyone. Once outside, Cassie opened the note Hawkeye had slipped her. She opened it discovered a shopping list of peculiar items. On the back were coordinates and, today's date, and the time 2100. She immediately recognized the handwriting as the Colonel. Yesterday, Hawkeye explained that they intended to fake Maria Ross' death but that the Colonel was still working on an exact plan. As Cassie analyzed the list, she realized that the Colonel intended to create a fake body. She had no idea what else his plan involved, and a part of her wondered if they could pull this off. Nevertheless, she went about town purchasing the items from his list as well as a few other things she needed in order to keep people from wondering what she was up to.

It took longer than expected to gather the necessary ingredients and bring them back to Havoc's apartment. Cassie decided there was no need for her to go back to Central and plopped down on the couch instead. She folded the various receipts and tucked them away in her bag. She fully intended to ask the Colonel to reimburse her when this was all over. A huge yawn escaped Cassie's mouth and she was very tempted to take a nap, but she knew she had to stay awake so she would be ready to meet the Colonel.

"It's going to be a long night," she sighed.


	4. Chapter 4

Shortly before 9, Cassie left Jean's apartment. She had changed out of her military uniform and was wearing her old training uniform consisting of black pants and a matching top. She had no way of knowing exactly how this night would go, so she figured she should wear something easy to move in. When he had quickly arrived home to change and prepare for his role in the evening, Jean had advised her to not wear the winter coat since it could make her easily identifiable. As unhappy as she was to leave it behind, Cassie knew Jean was right. Slung across her back was a duffle bag containing the Colonel's requested items. If anyone were to see her, it would look like she was just on her way for a late night workout.

Despite having concocted a potential alibi, Cassie stuck to the shadows and avoided anywhere she may be noticed. Luckily for her, few people in Central knew who she was, so even if she did walk by a person, they did not pay attention to her. Cassie supposed it was not luck and that one of the reasons the Colonel chose her to help with this is that no one would notice her actions. He may be an egotistical asshole, but even Cassie could not deny that he was a good strategist. Cassie turned into the alleyway she was supposed to meet the Colonel and found it empty. She walked far enough into the alley that no one would notice her on the nearby street and put down her bag. She reached behind her back and felt the handle of the knife she had secured there just in case something went south. She had absolutely no idea who their opponent was. She had a feeling even the Colonel didn't know. Cassie could only hope that this mission was quick and she would soon be back in the North.

Suddenly, Cassie was shaken from her thoughts by the sound of footsteps at the entrance of the alley. She quickly pushed her bag behind a bin and instinctively her hand hovered over the handle of her knife.

"Well," said a familiar voice, "what an unexpected sight. You actually arrived on time." The Colonel spoke quietly as he approached Cassie. She relaxed and removed her hand from her concealed weapon.

"Well, look who showed up here late. Really, if you're going to try and woe a girl in a dark alley, at least show up on time."

"Sorry, Lieutenant Keynes, you're not my type." He dramatically shrugged during this statement.

"Yeah, I guess you do prefer blondes." Cassie retorted and the Colonel's eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"Anyway," Cassie ignored the Colonel and grabbed the bag. "Here is everything you asked for." She opened the bag and took out the pork, ammonia, and carbon.

"So, have you figured out the plan yet?"

"You're going to make a fake body and by some miracle convince people that this human shaped thing is in fact Maria Ross." The smile on the Colonel's face gave away the fact that he was hiding a piece of information. "What?" She questioned.

"Go ahead and make the body before I tell you more."

"Why me? This was your plan." Mustang shrugged and Cassie felt the irritation building again.

"You are a state alchemist. Are you not able to perform such a simple transmutation? I suppose that's not much of a surprise, you weren't really ever useful."

"Shut up!" Cassie reached into her pocket and removed a piece of chalk. She had grabbed it before leaving in case she needed to use her alchemy at some point. She was so annoyed by the Colonel's comments that she almost snapped the chalk as she drew a transmutation circle. She was sick of him always acting like she was deadweight. She was made a state alchemist for a reason.

"Ok, how tall is this woman?" She asked through gritted teeth as she placed all the materials in the transmutation circle.  
"Hmm?"

"We want this to be realistic, right?"

"She's about four inches taller than you." Cassie was not completely sure but she thought she detected a hint of a smile. Placing her hands on the transmutation circle, Cassie closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she concentrated on the flow of energy. When she opened her eyes, she was disgusted by what she saw in front of her. The fake body was rather emaciated and did not look at all like a person.

"Not too bad," the Colonel said from behind her. "Guess you aren't totally useless."

"Oh, and what is the next step in this genius plan of yours? Put a wig on this thing and call her Maria?" A sly smile appeared on his face.

"Have you ever seen a body burnt to a crisp?"

"No, we're not all pyromaniacs like you." The Colonel's lip curled a bit at this.

"Well, trust me when I say, no one will be able to tell this is not Maria Ross." He bent and picked up the body. "Open that bin." He commanded. Cassie opened the wooden bin near her and the Colonel dumped the body inside. As he closed the lid, Cassie picked up her bag.

"So, now what?"

"Now, you go find yourself a nice alibi and get ready for tomorrow." Cassie let out an exasperated sigh.

"You mean I can't even stay and watch?"

"No." He bluntly shut her down. Her jaw dropped slightly.

"I can't wait until this is over and I can go back north where I don't have you bothering me incessantly."

"We'll both be happy once that happens. Now, as your commanding officer, I am telling you to head back...where exactly are you staying?"

"With an old friend."

"Right," he said knowing exactly who she was referring to. "Go back to his place and prep for tomorrow. You remember where and when to go tomorrow, right?"

"Yes. I am capable, sir." Cassie emphasized the last word.

"I'll believe it when I see it. Now hurry up, there's not much longer before she'll be here."

Without saying goodbye, Cassie left the alleyway. She made sure no one was around to see her slip out into the main street. On her way back to Jean's, she stopped by a cafe and general store to pick up a few things and to solidify her alibi. She was leaving the general store when she heard a commotion in the distance. She knew it was the Colonel and just continued her walk back to Jean's apartment. He was not home yet from his portion of the plan, so Cassie ate her dinner and tried to convince herself that everything was going to plan.

A couple of hours later, Cassie found herself half asleep on the couch when Jean finally came back. She felt his presence hovering over her.

"Everything all set?" She asked. Without responding, Jean reached down and brushed some of her hair off her face. She opened her eyes to see the blond man staring down at her.

"The Elric brothers showed up, but everything went well." She immediately sat up.

"Fullmetal? And Al?" She had not seen them since she left for the north. Jean nodded and sat down next to her.

"It's been so long, I bet Ed's grown up quite a bit."

"He's not as tall as you'd expect." Cassie did not respond. She was thinking about how those kids were getting themselves wrapped up in so much trouble with this situation.

"Hey," Jean flicked the side of her head. "If you think so hard, you're going to get wrinkles."

"Thanks for your concern," she said dryly.

"Go to bed, things are going to heat up tomorrow."

"Is that a joke about the Colonel?" She asked with a smile. Jean sighed and pulled out a cigarette. Cassie leaned over him and plucked the cigarette out of his hands just as he was placing it between his lips.

"You're gonna be no use to us tomorrow if you're coughing up a lung." She said as she walked down the hall.

"Hey! If you're going to take my cigarettes, then you can sleep on the couch!" He yelled as she continued walking down to the bedroom.

Cassie woke up before the sun the next morning due to Jean bumping into the nightstand. Opening her eyes, she saw the muscles of his back before he pulled a black shirt on to match his pants.

"What time is it?" Cassie mumbled causing Jean to jump.

"Dammit, Cass, why are you awake?"

"You're too loud," she replied with her eyes half shut.

"Go back to bed, I have to head out early so Hawkeye and I can get into position without anyone noticing us."

""Mmmkay." She mumbled already drifting back to sleep. Her portion of the plan involved staying with the Colonel in the office, so she was going to need all the rest she could get before dealing with him. "Oh, Jean," she said having one last thought.

"Yeah?"

"Stay safe, ok? I need you." She drifted off to sleep before hearing his response.


	5. Chapter 5

A few hours later, Cassie showed up to Central Command like nothing had happened the night before. She was surprised to see Hawkeye walking towards her.

"Lieutenant," Cassie greeted her. "I thought you were taking time off."

"Yes, I was just dropping off paperwork with the Colonel." It was obvious that the people nearby were eavesdropping. News about the Maria Ross incident had spread quickly.

"Well, you deserve some time away from that pain in the ass."

"Lieutenant, that is your current commanding officer," Hawkeye scolded. She was scrutinizing Cassie trying to figure out if Cassie was acting a part for the mission or speaking honestly. Cassie grinned at the woman.

"Yes, my pain in the ass commanding officer." This got a hint of a smile out of Hawkeye.

"Just please make sure he gets his paperwork done and that he doesn't wander off to some bar. That's all I ask." Really, all Hawkeye wanted was Cassie to keep Mustang from getting too involved in the plan.

"Yes, sir!" Cassie saluted. "Paperwork will be done even if it I have to force him at gunpoint." Hawkeye shook her head and continued walking past Cassie. The soldiers who had been eavesdropping quickly jumped back into conversations and shuffling papers. With a sigh, Cassie continued walking towards the Colonel's office.

A couple soldiers were standing outside of Mustang's office whispering to each other.

"Good morning," Cassie said. The two jumped to attention when they saw her.

"Lieutenant Keynes! Are you here to see the Colonel?"

"Yes, is he busy?" The two soldiers looked at each other with concerned expressions. However, neither had to say anything because Mustang's voice carried out of his office.

"Oh, Elizabeth"

"Always the lady's man," Cassie sighed. "Well, I'm taking this as a blessing. He's too busy to give me work to do." Cassie put her belongings down on a vacated desk and sat down. She grabbed a book from her bag, kicked her feet back, and started to lazily read. Her focus, however, was on the Colonel's phone conversation. She did that for a while and everything sounded like it was going to plan until the door to his office suddenly opened.

"Lieutenant Keynes, I'm stepping out for a bit. There's some paperwork on my desk that you need to finish for me." He started briskly walking down the hall.

"Colonel! Lieutenant Hawkeye said you can't leave until it's done!" Mustang kept walking down the hall. This was bad. He was deviating from the plan. "Where are you going?"

"I've got a date! There's a damsel in distress waiting for me so as your commanding officer, I'm delegating the paperwork to you. Bye!" He cheerfully called. Cassie's eyes narrowed when he mentioned a damsel in distress. That could only mean something bad was happening. The soldiers were all looking at her, so Cassie continued the show.

"This is why I transferred up north, you asshole!" she yelled as she stormed into Mustang's office and slammed the door. As expected, one of the soldiers knocked on the door moments later. She opened it and glared at him.

"Um, ma'am, sorry but would you like some help with the paperwork?" He asked meekly. Cassie's face softened.

"That's sweet but I'm not doing his damn job for him. I'm going to mess around with his things, take a nap, and leave for the day. If anyone comes looking for me or Mustang, just tell them we're busy, thanks!" Before the soldier could say anything, she closed the door and locked it.

Quickly and quietly, she opened the window and dropped down to the ground below. She knew that Hawkeye was stationed in a nearby tower, so once she got a bearing on her surroundings, Cassie started running towards it. Luckily, there was no one nearby to see her as she burst into the tower and sprinted up the stairs. She heard what sounded like an explosion followed by a woman yelling.

"Shit, what did Mustang do?" She muttered to herself. She got to the top of the tower ran into the room as Mustang was talking to Hawkeye. She noticed a small shiba inu standing in the room and Sergeant Fuery peering out a large hole in the tower wall.

"Fine, I'm an idiot," Mustang said to Hawkeye.

"Finally," Cassie said between breaths, "you admit it." Mustang turned in surprise at her appearance.

"I told you to stay at Central Command! You were supposed to be my cover!"

"And I told her to make sure you didn't leave no matter what!" Cassie could not tell if Hawkeye was angrier with her or Mustang.

"Colonel!" Sergeant Fuery called. "The target is on the move!"

Mustang and Hawkeye immediately reacted and barked out orders to Fuery and the dog who Cassie learnt was named Black Hayate. Mustang turned to Cassie. She was expecting him to send her back to Central Command.

"Keynes, you're coming with us."

"Good, I've been sick of doing nothing." Mustang scoffed at her comment as he three of them departed down the stairs. Mustang was in front with Hawkeye immediately behind him and Cassie in the rear.

"Colonel," Hawkeye said softly.

"What is it?"

"Thanks for saving us back there." Cassie felt like she was interrupting an intimate moment and tried her best to act oblivious to their conversation.

"Tell me later. Let's just stay focused on the mission for now" Mustang responded in a nonchalant voice.

"Sir." While Cassie could only see a sliver of Hawkeye's face, she swore the woman was smiling.

Once outside of the tower, they turned around a corner to where a small black car was parked.

"Shotgun!" Cassie said jokingly.

"No." Mustang answered abruptly as he and Hawkeye got into the front. Cassie slid into the back and was just starting to close the door when the Colonel drove away.

"So where are we going? Who should I be prepared to fight?" She asked.

"There are a lot of unknowns in this situation." The Colonel began saying.

"Oh, please tell me you at least know where we're going."

"Of course we know that!" He snapped. Hawkeye sighed from the passenger's seat. "First, we're picking up another team member."

The car swung around a corner and came to a halt. Outside, Cassie could see Falman standing next to a man in all black. The man faced them she saw through the hole in his mask that it was Jean.

"Get in," Mustang ordered. Jean ran over to the car and reached for the door when suddenly, a large suit of armor came running up. It had been years since Cassie met the Elrics, but Alphonse was easily recognizable, to say the least.

"Are you trying to go after Mr. Hughes' murderer?" The kid asked. Everyone in the team looked to Mustang.

"You in?" He asked Alphonse with a serious look on his face.

"Yeah."

"Well, we're going to need a bigger car." Cassie commented.

"Cassie, you're the fastest on foot and have the greatest endurance. Follow on foot."

She could not argue that even if they were not pressed for time. She had set a record on the physical exam for joining the military. She quickly got out of the car so Jean and Alphonse could squeeze in. Cassie took off her heavy coat. As much as she hated parting with it, it was not ideal for a workout in this climate.

"Sorry, Lieutenant Keynes. Oh, and it's nice to see you!" Alphonse said.

"It's nice to see you too, Alphonse," she replied as she leaned into the car and tossed her coat on Jean's lap before he closed the door to the car. Frankly, she may have gotten the better end of the deal because Jean looked miserable pressed against the boy and the door. Hawkeye took off and Cassie began running after the car.

She stayed a bit behind the car until she noticed the Colonel slow down to be driving parallel to a person running. The man was in a body of armour with only one arm which was brandishing a cleaver. Cassie sprinted forward to be right behind this odd newcomer.

"Hey, who's this?" She panted. Depending on how long this chase went, she may find out the true extent of her endurance.

"Barry's the name, chopping's my game!" The man said cheerfully as he turned to look at her. "And who might you be?"

"She's part of my team. That's all you need to know" Mustang answered. Cassie wanted to snap at him for answering but she needed to save her breath.

Mustang turned his attention to Hawkeye, but Cassie could not hear what she was asking him. She kept running alongside them while staring at Barry. Something was off about him. All of a sudden, she noticed the car swerve towards her. She and Barry screamed and jumped closer to the wall.

"Watch it, Mustang!" She yelled. She could see the occupants of the car speaking but could not make out the conversation still. She decided to pay attention to Barry still and noticed he was looking up at the rooftops. She was surprised to see a wild looking man running on all fours like an animal.

"What is that?" She asked.

"My body! That's what we've been chasing, sweetheart!" Cassie's eyes widened. Was this Barry guy like Alphonse? He must be.

The chase continued on as the sun began to set. Finally, the car slowed down as the approached a building and everyone got out.

"That was horrible," Jean complained as he stretched his back. Cassie was bent over catching her breath and looked up to glare at him.

"You don't get to complain." She reached over and grabbed her coat from him but did not put it on. She was too sweaty for that.

"Out of breath there? I guess you're in worse shape nowadays." He teased her as they followed the rest of the team to peer around the corner at the entrance of the building.

"My body ran in there," Barry told the group. "It seems to think it can hide from me." The team regrouped around the corner.

"The third laboratory. So this ties them directly to the military," Mustang commented. "That's all we need for now. We're pulling back." Cassie opened her mouth to complain about the fact that he made her alongside the car for miles just to call it a day. However, Barry beat her to the punch and started running towards the building.

"Well, you have fun with that!" He said as he ran.

"Dammit, Barry! Get back here!" Jean called after him. Cassie scrutinized Mustang. The Colonel had oddly not reacted immediately. "That psycho stormed the building." Jean told everyone as he watched the entrance.

"Yeah, it's our lucky day." Mustang responded. "Follow my lead."


	6. Chapter 6

He started walking towards the building and everyone followed behind him. The guards had clearly ran in after Barry because no one was there to stop them. The halls were busy with people who were clearly panicked by Barry's entrance. Mustang but he immediately began barking out orders. He was quite good at that.

"All personnel must evacuate immediately." A soldier approached the group clearly confused by both Barry's and the team's entrances.

"Uh, Colonel," the man began to say. He probably was going to question Mustang's authority to be going into the lab.

"That man is a deranged killer. My men will handle this. Order your guards to seal off the exits." Mustang had such an authoritative presence that the soldier just saluted and agreed to do so.

The team continued down the stairs into a dark hallway. There was no sign of whether Barry went left or right.

"How the Hell are we supposed to find him?" Jean was aggravated. Everyone was thinking the same thing, but Mustang as the leader said it.

"We're gonna have to split up." He was looking directly at Hawkeye when he said this. Cassie got the impression that the two of them were already on the same page as to how the group should be split.

"Yes, sir."

"So who's watching out for the kid?" Cassie asked gesturing to Alphonse.

"Hey! I can take care of myself. It's nearly impossible to hurt me and I can do alchemy." Cassie turned to him with a stern look on her face.

"Nearly impossible isn't good enough. I don't want to be the one explaining to Fullmetal that we stood by and allowed you to get in harm's way. We don't know what we're facing so if we are splitting up, we need to be smart about it."

"Keynes and Hawkeye will go with Alphonse. This way Hawkeye can cover while Keynes is on the offensive. Havoc will cover for me." Mustang said while looking at Cassie. She could have sworn there was a look of respect on his face.

"Ok," she replied to him. The teams went their separate way and Cassie began keeping an eye out for any movement.

"Keynes, are you prepared for alchemy?" Hawkeye asked quietly.

"I'm always ready," Cassie replied. "But I've got another trick up my sleeve." She reached into her coat pocket a took out the hilt of a sword attached to a block of metal.

"What is that?" Alphonse asked.

"A sword."

"Uh, what?" The kid asked. Cassie grinned. She had acquired a few new skills while at Briggs.

"When did you take up sword fighting?" Hawkeye either already had figured out the sword riddle or just did not care.

"When I transferred to Briggs, the Major General decided I would make a good sparring partner. I think I almost died a few times in the beginning but I adapted." Hawkeye laughed at the thought of Major General Armstrong attacking Cassie when she was only a beginner swordsman. Cassie shrugged off her coat and placed it on the ground.

"A transmutation circle!" Alphonse was surprised to see a circle embroidered on the inside of her coat. Hawkeye had stopped walking too and was standing alert while Cassie placed the sword hilt on the coat. Placing her hands on the coat, she focused her energy into transmuting the metal. The energy was palpable as the block of metal stretched out into a full length sabre. She picked up the sword with her left hand and swung it around a few times to make sure it was weighted correctly.

"Alright, let's continue," Cassie said to Hawkeye while putting her coat back on.

The group only walked a little further when they noticed a door opened to another room. Hawkeye looked back towards Cassie who nodded her head and the two walked in with with weapons drawn while Alphonse followed behind. The first thing to catch Cassie's eye was the large ornate door. It had alchemic writing and symbols on it. She walked close to the door to look closer but was distracted by a horrible rotting smell. Next to her, Barry was standing over his own dead body. Cassie and Hawkeye gagged at the overwhelming scent. Alphonse lucked out in the moment by not having a body because no one would want to smell this.

"Sorry," Barry said remorsefully, "but you got here too late. Look at this mess. My body is damn near entirely decayed. I guess a body just can't keep up with someone else's soul shoved inside it."

The sound of footsteps caused everyone to turn towards the door. A sultry woman in a dark red dress was standing there. On her chest was an ouroboros tattoo. Barry laughed.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up, Lusty."

"You're such a handful Number 66, and it's sad to see you armour boy and the Snow Alchemist here. Talk about a set back. It was bad enough killing one candidate, now two more have to go."

"Candidate? How do you know who I am?" Cassie asked.

"Dear Jean always loved talking about. It really put a damper on our dates. He was a looker though. It was sad to see him go." The woman had a malicious glint to her eyes. Cassie had a horrible feeling in her stomance.

"What do you mean 'see him go'?" Cassie paused thinking about what she had said earlier. "Who was this first candidate?" The woman laughed at her.

"Oh not Havoc. He may be a charmer but he's not what we're looking for." Before Cassie could respond, Barry rushed forward.

"That's enough from you, Lust. All I want is to hear your screaming." He charged at her with his cleaver. Cassie watched in horror as the woman's fingernails extended and sliced Barry to bits. What kind of monster was she?

"Now where were we? Right, I was about to send Lieutenant Hawkeye to join her superior." Hawkeye gasped and Cassie felt herself go into shock. Havoc and Mustang could not be dead. No. Her hand was shaking and she was frozen to her spot as Lust walked towards them.

"Wait a minute. So when you said you already had to kill a candidate…It can't be. You didn't." Hawkeye's emotions were coming undone as Lust kept approaching with a smirk on her face.

"You bitch!" Hawkeye screamed as she started firing her gun at the woman.

Cassie watched as her companion unloaded two rounds into the woman and was horrified to see the woman heal on the spot. Cassie charged forward slicing her sword through the woman. Lust stumbled backwards as her left arm fell off. Cassie raised her sword to aim for the right one but before she could, Lust aimed an attack at her with her nails. Going on the defensive, Cassie blocked the blow of the nails. Unfortunately, Lust's left arm had regenerated and Cassie jumped to the side trying to avoid the attack from that arm. Cassie let out a scream as nails pierced her left forearm causing her to stumble to her knees and drop her sword. She was saved from further attack by Hawkeye unleashing another round of bullets into the woman. Cassie knew this was the last round Hawkeye had. She looked over and saw the blonde woman crying. The realization of everything hit Cassie. Mustang and Havoc were dead. She was staring death in the face along with Hawkeye and Alphonse. God, Alphonse. He was just a kid.

"Are you done trying?" Lust asked casually as she stood up in perfect condition again. Hawkeye fell to her knees in tears. In a last ditch effort, Cassie started drawing a transmutation circle with the blood from her wound. Her hand was shaking causing her to slowly draw the circle.

"Such a sad and weak creature. Another typical human."Cassie momentarily stopped what she was doing. Alphonse stepped in front of Hawkeye. Cassie and Lust watched in shock as he transmuted a spear with no circle. When had he acquired that skill? Had he attempted human transmutation again? No. She knew that could not be the case. Lust easily disarmed the boy.

"Go, Alphonse!" Cassie yelled.

"No! I won't leave you two! I'm sick of watching people die! I can't just sit back and take it anymore! I won't let anyone else get hurt when I can protect them! " This brought Cassie to her breaking point and she felt the tears run down her face. She knew how he felt. She had not been there to protect Jean or Mustang. Alphonse's resolve gave her the push to finish the transmutation circle. As she did, she noticed a figure in the doorway which looked familiar.

"Well said," Mustang said as he raised his hand. "I couldn't agree more." Knowing what was about to come, Cassie quickly transmuted a wall in front of her and saw Alphonse do the same in front of himself and Hawkeye. She felt the heat of flames surge past her.

"You should've bled to death by now!" Lust panted. Cassie could not see her, but the woman sounded in pain.

"I seared the wound closed. I came close to passing out from the pain." Another blast of flames rushed past Cassie. She felt hope resurge. Mustang was alive. Havoc could be too. The room was filled with Lust's agonized screams as Mustang repeatedly burnt her to a crisp.

Suddenly, the screaming stopped. Cassie's ears were ringing but she could tell that Lust was murmuring something to Mustang. Cassie grabbed her sword for good measure and peered out from behind her barricade in time to watch Lust disintegrate. Mustang fell onto his back.

"Colonel!" Hawkeye yelled and both she and Cassie ran towards him. Cassie herself stumbled and almost fell. The adrenaline had worn off and her body was feeling the strain of everything it had been through.

"Are you alright?" Mustang asked Hawkeye.

"Forget about me, we need to get you some help." The Colonel smiled and turned to Alphonse.

"Thanks, Alphonse. Thank you for looking after my subordinate." He then turned to Cassie who was leaning on her sword as a crutch.

"Keynes, you've grown up." The two shared weak smiles. "Havoc...I seared his wounds. He was unconscious when I left him."

"I need to go to him," she said as she started moving towards the door.

"You're in no shape!" Hawkeye protested, but it was too late and Cassie noticed the room spinning as her legs gave out.


End file.
